Farmers Attend Open Day on Green House Technology

Benefits which can accrue to the farming community from the utilization of Green House technology were extensively demonstrated at an Open Day exhibition on Green House production, held on a farm in Highgate, St. Mary, recently.
Green houses are specially designed buildings in which plants are grown, with the aim of significantly increasing yield as compared with open field production.
The open day, which was sponsored by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), was held for the purpose of bringing the technology to a wide cross section of farmers, with a special focus on young farmers, through the provision of hands-on training and partnerships.
The farm on which the exhibition was held, has been involved in Green House production for the past six months, and among the crops cultivated are tomatoes, sweet peppers and vegetables.
Giving the main address at the function, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Roger Clarke, said the use of the Green House technology was a revolutionary step in farming, which has the ability to significantly increase and improve agricultural production in the country.
He said the application of Green House farming would make the Jamaican farmer more competitive on the global market, and exhorted members of the farming community to use the technology to conduct organic farming in order to maximise the earnings that could be made from that type of production.
Noting that there was a huge demand for products like organic fruits and vegetables, the Minister said the overwhelming pre-occupation on the part of an increasing number of people to lead healthy lifestyles, was a guarantee that the cultivation of organic crops would provide financial rewards for farmers involved in that venture. He encouraged farmers to embrace the use of the technology for the advancement of the agricultural sector, as well as for their own financial gains, and urged them to make use of the financial assistance currently available to help them establish themselves in the venture.
Mr. Clarke added that the Ministry was in the process of putting special arrangements in place to assist farmers who wanted to get involved with the technology.He said that RADA would be working closely with the farmers of the country to promote the new method.